ISU professor responds on antibiotics story

The CBS story, aired in the US on 9 February, has sparked a discussion on the use of antibiotics in animal production in the USA, with an Iowa State University professor responding through the Web.

The CBS story reported on the finding by the University of Iowa of strains of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in nearly three-quarters of pigs (70%) and nearly two-thirds of the pig farm workers (64%), on several farms in Iowa and western Illinois.

Iowa State University professor Dr H. Scott Hurd, former deputy undersecretary Food Safety, USDA, replied to most of the opinions presented as facts – and stated his own views. To see his arguments, check the website factsaboutpork.org.